Dr Paul Allen

Reformed from the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church  Among the twenty-odd persons martyred for their beliefs during the decades preceding Scotland 's official embrace of Protestantism (1560), there was only one woman: Helen Stirk. The only information we have about Helen Stirk's life comes to us, ironically, from accounts of her death. We know that she was married, that she was the mother of at least one child, and that she was a woman of rather remarkable faith and courage. Beyond that, her life and doings remain shrouded in mystery. Helen was arrested in Perth on the 25th of January, 1544, along with her husband, James Ronaldson, and three other residents of the town, Robert Lamb, William Anderson, and James Hunter. Perth, like most of Scotland's east-coast towns, proved to be a hotbed for reforming ideas, largely because its shipping industry guaranteed regular contact with the European continent (and thus continental books and ideas). Sensitive to the inroads ...

Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples (Ps. 96:3). Many assert that John Calvin had no zeal for missions. They wrongly believe that evangelism and world missions could not be reconciled with his strong doctrine of predestination. However, to suppose that predestination is incompatible with evangelism is a grievous error. While God elects some to salvation, we know not who. God uses the proclamation of the Gospel to call those He has already predestined to eternal life, and He uses the church to proclaim this Good News to the lost. God has commanded us to go into all the world to preach the Gospel. When we refrain, we disobey a direct command from our Lord Himself. God uses His church to bring in the harvest—a harvest that remains ripe even to this day. Calvin strongly believed in missions because he was faithful to the Word of God. When he read passages such as Psalm 96, he be...

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Rom. 3:12c). We’ve all heard it—the objection to Christianity that asks, “What happens to the poor innocent native in Africa (or South America , or indigenous outback tribe of  Australia , or elsewhere) who never hears about Jesus?” The simple answer is, all innocent people who die without hearing about Christ go directly to heaven. They don’t need to hear about Jesus because innocent people don’t need the Savior. Unfortunately, the testimony of Scripture is that mere are no innocent people at all, natives or otherwise. All people are guilty in the sight of God , for all have sinned. Thus, Romans 3:23 tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But the question remains: How can God punish someone who never has the opportunity to hear the Gospel and turn to Christ? There are some who fit this description, for the church’s outreach efforts have not penetrated to e...